'Crittercam' at Mystic Aquarium gives a bird's-eye view of the animal kingdom

Jim Shelton

Published
12:00 am EST, Friday, February 25, 2011

Frost Infante, 8, and her brother North Infante, 10, get a look at a crittercam strapped to a model penguin at Mystic Aquarium.(Brad Horrigan/Journal Register News Service)

Frost Infante, 8, and her brother North Infante, 10, get a look at a crittercam strapped to a model penguin at Mystic Aquarium.(Brad Horrigan/Journal Register News Service)

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Frost Infante, 8, and her brother North Infante, 10, get a look at a crittercam strapped to a model penguin at Mystic Aquarium.(Brad Horrigan/Journal Register News Service)

Frost Infante, 8, and her brother North Infante, 10, get a look at a crittercam strapped to a model penguin at Mystic Aquarium.(Brad Horrigan/Journal Register News Service)

'Crittercam' at Mystic Aquarium gives a bird's-eye view of the animal kingdom

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MYSTIC -- Cinema doesn't get more verite than Crittercam.

Like a majestic mash-up of "Born Free" and "The Blair Witch Project," this National Geographic video project gives people a shaky camera look inside a penguin's hunting party, a shark's feeding frenzy and a house cat's nighttime prowl.

The best part is, you don't have to wear a wet suit or crouch behind a rock.

"I'd never really thought about their everyday lives," says visitor Xury Belliard of Providence, R.I. "It's incredible how they show the goings-on of these different creatures, which is a lot different from observing them in captivity."

The Crittercam videos run continuously on dozens of monitors throughout the exhibit.

IF YOU GO: "National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes," is on display through November at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, 55 Coogan Blvd., in Mystic. Admission to the aquarium is $26 for adults, $23 for seniors and $19 for kids ages 3-17. For hours or more information, call 860-572-5955 or visit www.mysticaquarium.org.

National Geographic marine biologist Greg Marshall, inspired by watching a remora fish attached to the side of a shark, developed the technology. The exhibit opens with a video display of Marshall explaining the overall project.

At this point, Crittercam has evolved to include several deployment methods. It attaches to whales with suction cups; a tether system or fin clamps are used with sharks; adhesive patches go on seals and sea lions; penguins get harnesses.

The attachment of the Crittercam is short term in all instances, Merz assures. Via satellite, scientists release the Crittercam unit from the animal, and the unit floats to the surface or remains on the ground for retrieval.

As for the footage itself, it has the look of a first-person video game. Swimming along with a mother bearded seal, for example, the only stationary image on the screen is her whiskers.

Then there's Molly, a cat trolling the back alley of her Washington, D.C., neighborhood. When Molly tracks a tasty rodent, Crittercam is there for every step.

"It's amazing how much the turtles eat," says visitor Blake Duzak of Sturbridge, Mass. "To watch this and see their life under the water -- just amazing."

It's been informative, too.

Crittercam footage has changed how scientists understand such things as the way penguins hunt for food, the mating habits of leatherback turtles and the tendency of adult Hawaiian monk seals to attack younger seals.

In addition, the exhibit at Mystic has several interactive elements for younger visitors.

The penguin area has a tunnel kids can crawl through and emerge in a bubble, facing a model of a penguin decked out in a working Crittercam. When the kids leave the tunnel, they can watch video of themselves taken by the Crittercam.

Elsewhere, there's a tabletop Crittercam puzzle, a "Build-a-Cam" area and recordings of a leopard seal and a harbor seal on a hand-held device. Kids may also want to watch the turtle footage while sitting on a life-size model of a leatherback turtle.